A note from the Author: It’s been a long time since I looked back at “Dinner at Hackney’s”. I was just a kid at the time I penned it, not yet a writer really, more a storyteller in the making. This particular little tale, earnest and unpolished, has its roots inside some of my real life family dynamics; and though I didn’t realize it at the time, it would be the first stone on the path that led me to the larger story of “Swingtown”, the first and most personal television show I’ve created (with the help of some truly talented and generous advocates). Sharing this short story after all this time makes me proud, and nostalgic, and more than a little embarrassed, but I wouldn’t change a word. 10% of the profits from this short story will be donated to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). About the Author: Mike Kelley is a television show creator, writer, and executive producer based out of Los Angeles, California. Over the course of more than fifteen years as a professional screen writer, he has written and produced hundreds of episodes of broadcast American television including “Providence” (NBC 1999-2002), “The OC” (FOX 2003-2006), and “Jericho” (CBS 2006-2007). In 2008 he created the critically acclaimed 1970’s period drama “Swingtown” (CBS 2008), and most recently DISNEY/ABC’s international hit “Revenge”, inspired by Alexander Dumas’ “The Count of Monte Cristo. Mike grew up in the Chicago suburb of Winnetka, Illinois where he was a New Trier high school classmate of “Swingtown” music composer and Grammy nominated Liz Phair. In 1989 he graduated with a degree in Communications and English from Indiana University, before moving out to Los Angeles in the summer of 1993 to begin his adventure in television. Mike recently shared his Hollywood experience in a 2014 feature film documentary titled: “Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show”, alongside industry notables: JJ Abrams (“LOST”, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”), Damon Lindeloff (“The Leftovers”, “World War Z”), and Joss Whedon (“Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, “The Avengers”). Mike is happily married with a college aged step son, two frisky rescue dogs, and an unshakeable group of family, friends, and professional mentors without whom, none of his crazy stories ever would have made it to screen.
